Among the myriad of applications available today, it is still difficult to locate a streamlined, yet powerful word processing application that gives the average user the ability to easily create well-designed documents. On a daily basis, users create documents from a simple letter or invitation to a newsletter or brochure. Users typically compose and design a variety of these documents on a computer. While computers have aided the user, computers have added complication as well with difficult to use tools and unintuitive, unimaginative interfaces. Often current applications hinder users from changing the layout and look of the documents they create because of the rigid format and structure of the templates offered to the user, or the lack of usability of the interface or application itself.
Users often have needs of presenting content in a particular format such as data by using any number of tables or charts. Current applications attempt to incorporate the more specialized content or formatted data into their documents in awkward fashion. Furthermore, current applications have lagged behind the need of users to incorporate a multitude of latest generation text and graphics types, and multimedia-based content such as movies, hyperlinks, and audio. The need and ability to publish documents online has also added new advances and challenges to the average user.
As mentioned, the templates that come with existing applications may not always fit the job. Thus, a user may be required to apply design knowledge or advanced computer skill to create user specific tools such as templates that suit the user's particular needs. However, creating such customized tools may represent a daunting task to even those well versed in the use of the application. Even to those users lucky enough to overcome the obstacles, much time will be spent both on elements of design and computer expertise by many users whose primary job function or interest is neither of these.
One obvious solution to the failings of existing applications and templates is to add more rigid, confined templates that may or may not fit the purpose and design goals of the user. Another solution is to allow the user to start from a plain document or a blank template, without pre-formatting which allows a user to build a needed template. However, building from scratch defeats the purpose of having templates. Therefore, neither of these solutions really offers a complete answer to users attempting to create a variety of documents using the latest content. An improved solution would involve both a large complement of pre-designed templates as well as the ability to further expand and configure these templates for individual tasks.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an application that is better suited to current content and needs of users. There is also a need in the art for a variety of document template types from which to choose. There is a further need in the art for the ability to expand templates. Moreover, there is a need in the art to facilitate user expansion and configuration of templates. For instance, to at least partially meet the needs mentioned above, a user should have the ability to drag or place content (e.g., imported graphics, movies, sound, text boxes, charts, tables, and shapes) onto a page of a multi-page user configurable template.